herb wrote:Wild owner Leipold says "We think our team is very much like the Kings."

You are the only one that thinks that way there Craig.

I for one would be thrilled if they could be like the Kings and knock off the President Trophy winning team in the first round.

The difference being that the Kings clawed their way up from the basement last year and were going full tilt when the playoffs hit. The Wild have stumbled and tripped over themselves all year and have enjoyed the benefit of playing in a division that boasts Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, and an inconsistent Vancouver.

WestHawks-Wild. I hate the Hawks. I hate the Wild slightly less. I want the Wild to win but they will lose in 4.

Ducks-Wings. I think the experts are going to give this to the Ducks in short order. I have a problem doing so given Zetterberg and Datsyuk. I also don't like calling series based on standings so I'm calling the upset in 6.

Canucks-Sharks. If the canucks play to their abilities they take this series in 5. I don't like the Sharks blueline. For playoff hockey I think the purging of their 3 most physical players the last two seasons hurts them. I think in the end the canucks take it in 6.

Kings-Blues. This could be a snooze fest or a hard hitting best series of the first round. Blues get the goaltending they've been missing for most of the year and win in 6.

EastPittsburgh-Islander. Sid is back. Good to see the isles back in the playoffs....for 4 games anyways.

Montreal-Ottawa. This could be an upset in the making only because of the questionable goaltending of the Habs. In the end the habs take a 7 game barn burner of a series.

Washington-Rangers. I hate the Rangers. I will never ever predict them to win. Ovechkin continues his torrid goalscoring pace. Nash wilts in the playoffs. Caps in 6.

Boston-Leafs. The Leafs are content with a playoff berth. The Bruins are not. I don't care that the Bruins have stumbled down the stretch for this series. Bruins dominate the Leafs in 5. Chara takes out Kessel and Lupul.

WestHawks-Wild. I hate the Hawks. I hate the Wild slightly less. I want the Wild to win but they will lose in 4.

Ducks-Wings. I think the experts are going to give this to the Ducks in short order. I have a problem doing so given Zetterberg and Datsyuk. I also don't like calling series based on standings so I'm calling the upset in 6.

Canucks-Sharks. If the canucks play to their abilities they take this series in 5. I don't like the Sharks blueline. For playoff hockey I think the purging of their 3 most physical players the last two seasons hurts them. I think in the end the canucks take it in 6.

Kings-Blues. This could be a snooze fest or a hard hitting best series of the first round. Blues get the goaltending they've been missing for most of the year and win in 6.

EastPittsburgh-Islander. Sid is back. Good to see the isles back in the playoffs....for 4 games anyways.

Montreal-Ottawa. This could be an upset in the making only because of the questionable goaltending of the Habs. In the end the habs take a 7 game barn burner of a series.

Washington-Rangers. I hate the Rangers. I will never ever predict them to win. Ovechkin continues his torrid goalscoring pace. Nash wilts in the playoffs. Caps in 6.

Boston-Leafs. The Leafs are content with a playoff berth. The Bruins are not. I don't care that the Bruins have stumbled down the stretch for this series. Bruins dominate the Leafs in 5. Chara takes out Kessel and Lupul.

I don't think there is enough hate and spite in your predictions but I like that you have the Canucks in six but I think the wild will stretch it to five at least and fuck I hope LA and ST L kill each other in triple OT in game 7 with the blues squeezing it out...

3. Canucks vs 6. SharksFirst things first. Both teams are not as strong as they were two years ago. Canucks are flying under the radar a bit, and I think the Sharks will take Vancouver lightly as they swept the regular season series and read too much into how little people are talking about the Canucks. I predict this will be a tight series with two games that make it to OT. The key for the Canucks will be to keep the PP going. The PP has been better of late, and will produce in this series. The Canucks will get on the Sharks early, be the more physical team and break the Sharks' brittle confidence. Canucks in 5

1. Blackhawks vs 8. WildThe Wild have limped into the playoffs and will be very lucky to win one game. A couple of games will be close, but the Hawks will cruise to an easy series win.Hawks in 4

2. Ducks vs 7. Red WingsThis will be one of the tightest series of the first round. Detroit is not the team they once were, and Anaheim is an overrated group that sits higher up in the standings then they actually should be due to a very hot start. This is by far the worst travel in the first round, with a three hour time difference between the two cities. Tough to pick a winner, but there are some Detroit fans in the office I'd like to see sad, so...Ducks in 7

4. Blues vs 5. KingsThis will be another tough series. This one will either be a slow, grinding series, a touch, physical series or both. I'm predicting that the first two games of this series will be great, physical battles, but that will fizzle out as the games get more important. I don't see LA repeating, but I do see them getting by the Blues in round 1. Kings in 6

1. Penguins vs 8. IslandersThis is by far the easiest series to pick. The Islanders are a low budget team and it will show from game 2 onward. John Tavares is a fantastic player, but I don't think even he's good enough to win his team one game. Pens in 4

2. Canadiens vs 7. SenatorsThis is a great matchup for the small Montreal forward group. Ottawa has played well despite their bad luck with injuries, and Karlsson will be a big factor. In the end, though, Ottawa won't be able to score enough, and Montreal has more depth all over the place. Anderson has come back down to Earth too. He'll need to be incredible for Ottawa to win this series. Habs in 6

3. Capitals vs 6. RangersWashington versus New York again? Jeez! One of the league's most overrated players versus one of the most overrated coaches. On paper, New York should win, but Washington has come on of late and Torts will lean on his best players too much. Nash will not perform well, and Lundqvist isn't able to score goals. Capitals in 7

4. Bruins vs 5. Maple LeafsNot a hard series to pick. The Leafs are one of the worst teams to make the playoffs. They don't have a good puck possession game, and get very few shots on goal. Carlyle thinks all they need to do is hit and punch people in the head to win. The Bruins aren't the team they were two years ago, but they are deeper all around than Toronto is. The excitement of being in the playoffs, and playing playoff games at home for the first time since I was a junior in high school, will propel Toronto to two wins in this series, Boston in 6